Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Beyond America’s Borders: “Global Prosperity in the 1850s”

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question

1. How did American transportation change between the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson (which began in 1801) and Abraham Lincoln (1861)?

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Correct. The answer is d. In 1801, Jefferson made the trip to Washington, D.C. on horseback, and he and his horse had to swim across several rivers. In contrast, Lincoln’s 1861 journey to Washington, D.C. was made entirely on railroads. The trips of these two presidents illustrate the rapid transformation of the American landscape over the antebellum era, and the industrialization the United States experienced by 1850.
Incorrect. The answer is d. In 1801, Jefferson made the trip to Washington, D.C. on horseback, and he and his horse had to swim across several rivers. In contrast, Lincoln’s 1861 journey to Washington, D.C. was made entirely on railroads. The trips of these two presidents illustrate the rapid transformation of the American landscape over the antebellum era, and the industrialization the United States experienced by 1850.

Question

2. The reason that Great Britain, the United States, France, and Germany were far more prosperous than most of the rest of the world in the 1850s was because all four countries

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Correct. The answer is b. The quality shared by Great Britain, the United States, France, and Germany in the 1850s was that these countries had industrialized, or were in the process of industrializing. Industrial production was, in general, much more efficient than non-industrial production (such as agriculture), which made these four countries more prosperous than their non-industrialized counterparts elsewhere in the world.
Incorrect. The answer is b. The quality shared by Great Britain, the United States, France, and Germany in the 1850s was that these countries had industrialized, or were in the process of industrializing. Industrial production was, in general, much more efficient than non-industrial production (such as agriculture), which made these four countries more prosperous than their non-industrialized counterparts elsewhere in the world.

Question

3. How did Great Britain’s high wages make its industries more efficient, therefore helping to make Great Britain the world’s most prosperous nation in the 1850s?

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Correct. The answer is a. British wages were higher compared to other nations, and this high labor cost incentivized manufacturing companies to invest in machines instead of paying human workers. Machines were uniformly more efficient than humans were; for example, machines do not require breaks during the workday. As a result, the use of machines made British industries more efficient and, therefore, more prosperous.
Incorrect. The answer is a. British wages were higher compared to other nations, and this high labor cost incentivized manufacturing companies to invest in machines instead of paying human workers. Machines were uniformly more efficient than humans were; for example, machines do not require breaks during the workday. As a result, the use of machines made British industries more efficient and, therefore, more prosperous.

Question

4. Although Britain and the United States had very similar sized populations in the 1850s, in what way were the demographics of the two countries significantly different?

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Correct. The answer is c. In 1850, 78 percent of the British population lived in towns or cities, while only 15 percent of Americans were urban. The consequence of this disparity was that more British laborers did industrial work, which was generally more productive than the agricultural work done by most Americans, making the British economy more prosperous.
Incorrect. The answer is c. In 1850, 78 percent of the British population lived in towns or cities, while only 15 percent of Americans were urban. The consequence of this disparity was that more British laborers did industrial work, which was generally more productive than the agricultural work done by most Americans, making the British economy more prosperous.

Question

5. Although the United States had the second highest per capita production of goods and services in the 1850s, which of the following groups likely did not experience the benefits of that prosperity?

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Correct. The answer is b. The weakness of using per capita production to measure a nation’s prosperity is this measurement masks the fact that in no nation are goods and services shared equally. Poor people in the United States likely did not benefit from the nation’s overall prosperity in the 1850s.
Incorrect. The answer is b. The weakness of using per capita production to measure a nation’s prosperity is this measurement masks the fact that in no nation are goods and services shared equally. Poor people in the United States likely did not benefit from the nation’s overall prosperity in the 1850s.